Jared Johnson

Basketball Daily Dose

Dose: They call me ROY

Donovan Mitchellmade sure he wouldn’t be excluded from the Rookie of the Year conversation as he helped lead the Jazz to a 114-108 win over the Pelicans on Friday night, busting loose for a career-high 41 points (Utah rookie record) on 13-of-25 shooting (9-of-11 from the stripe) to go with six triples, four boards, four assists and three turnovers in 37 minutes. He nailed three 3-pointers through the first quarter of action, and never really took his foot off the gas pedal after that, putting anyone in front of him on skates while working with a Russell Westbrook-like 41.1 usage rate. This was the first 40-point-plus performance by a rookie since Blake Griffin did it back in 2011, and he’s simply been too good to keep off the floor this season, earning minutes ahead of both Ricky Rubio and Rodney Hood (ankle). The Jazz closed out the game with a Mitchell-Alec Burks-Joe Ingles-Jonas Jerebko-Derrick Favors lineup and that group posted a ridiculous 73.1 net rating, which is great news for the rookie, but a rather ominous sign for the struggling Ricky Rubio.

Rubio watched from the bench during crunch time, finishing Friday’s win with just seven rebounds, four assists, and one steal over 25 scoreless minutes. He’s struggled to adjust in Utah this year and has really been trending in the wrong direction over the past few weeks with averages of just 10.0 points, 4.1 assists, 1.3 triples, 1.3 steals and 2.1 turnovers per contest while earning a measly 23.8 minutes a night. With Mitchell excelling at point guard, he’s been siphoning away minutes from Rubio, and unfortunately, it’s starting to look like Rubio’s playing time could be in the mid-20s on most nights moving forward as opposed to the mid-30s. I’d be cautious about buying low here, as I’m not all that certain it’ll get better soon.

Editor's Note: Looking for an edge in your fantasy leagues? The NBA Season Pass provides weekly projections, rankings, the popular Pickups of the Day column, exclusive columns and customizable stat options. It's the extra tool that can take your fantasy basketball teams to the next level.

Anthony “Glassman” Davis

Anthony Daviswent down with a left groin injury during Friday’s loss and did not return, ending his evening with 19 points, 10 rebounds, one assist, two steals, one block and one turnover in 32 minutes. Davis was writhing around in pain on the floor for roughly two minutes after suffering the non-contact injury and couldn’t put any weight at all on his left leg at all as he was helped off the floor, so, not good at all. He'll get an MRI in Portland tomorrow but I seriously doubt he’ll be able to play, and wouldn’t be surprised if this injury forces him into a lengthy absence, as groin injuries tend to be tricky. It’s going to be a team effort to replace Davis’ 25.6 PPG and 26.9 usage, but DeMarcus Cousins and Jrue Holiday will be first in line followed by E’Twaun Moore, and Rajon Rondo could have the ball in his hands a bit more often. There will be more minutes available for guys like Darius Miller, Dante Cunningham, Omer Asik and Cheick Diallo, but there’s not really an obvious pickup here.

Cousins finished Friday’s loss with 23 points (8-of-21 FGs, 5-of-6 FTs), 13 rebounds, four assists, two 3-pointers, one block and one turnover in 39 minutes, and with Anthony Davis off the floor for the fourth quarter, he saw his usage spike to 34.5. He’ll assuredly be posting some monster stat lines moving forward.

Victor Oladipo continued his stellar play on Friday, popping off for 36 points on 14-of-22 shooting (5-of-7 from the stripe) to go with seven rebounds, six assists, three 3-pointers, three steals, three blocks and three turnovers in 39 minutes. He’s been on quite the tear over the past two weeks, pumping out averages of 24.3 points, 5.0 boards, 4.8 assists, 2.0 triples and a ridiculous 3.3 steals and 2.2 swats per contest on 52.4 percent shooting which has him ranking in the top-2 in fantasy hoops. Obviously, he won’t be averaging such gaudy defensive numbers for the entire season, but first-round value does seem like a reasonable expectation.

Myles Turner also had a nice night, tallying 17 points (7-of-11 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs), six rebounds, one 3-pointer, one assist and one block in 34 minutes. He should continue to trend up as the year goes on, so get in your buy-low offers while you still can as there’s top-10 upside here.

The Return of Buckets

Jimmy Butler did a little bit of everything, registering 22 points, seven assists, three rebounds, one 3-pointer, three steals, two blocks and three turnovers in 41 minutes. After a slow start to the season, Butler has been finding his groove as of late, flirting with top-20 value over the past eight games with averages of 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.0 steals, 1.5 triples and 2.0 turnovers per game on 49.2 percent shooting from the field and 75.0 percent from the stripe. He's been working with a 24.2 usage rate over that eight-game span, which is all he needs to provide elite fantasy value, and I'd expect his numbers to continue to trend in this positive direction as we advance through the season. Top-15 for Jimmy Buckets seems like a reasonable expectation, so congrats if you bought low.

On the Radar

Josh Richardson seemingly couldn’t miss during Friday’s 105-100 win over Charlotte, netting a season-high 27 points on 11-of-14 shooting (2-of-3 from the stripe) to go with three trey-bombs, two boards, one assist, one steal, one block and two turnovers in 35 minutes. J-Rich has come alive over the past three games, flirting with top-55 value behind averages of 18.3 points, 2.7 triples, 1.3 dimes, 1.7 steals and 0.7 swats per contest while working with a 21.2 usage rate, so make sure he’s not floating around on your waiver wire. Yes, he’s must-own.

Bam Adebayo got another start sans Hassan Whiteside (knee), ripping away four steals to go with two blocks, five rebounds, three turnovers and one point in 18 minutes. He could be a nice low-end source of hustle stats in deep leagues over the next few weeks with Whiteside on the sidelines.

Jordan Bell scored a career-high 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting in Friday’s win over the Magic, adding four rebounds, one steal and three swats in 16 minutes off the bench. Steve Kerr has been hinting that Bell will be earning more minutes in the rotation moving forward, and he was able to play alongside both Draymond Green and Kevin Durant in this one, so he’s on the radar as a potential shot blocking specialist in deep leagues.

Ben McLemore played well in another start on Friday, registering 14 points (5-of-8 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs), two 3-pointers, two rebounds, two steals, one block and two turnovers in 20 minutes. He’s starting to round into form and could remain a starter under interim head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, so he’s someone to consider swooping up in deep leagues if you need some help at the guard spot.

Alec Burks had another productive outing on Friday, going 10-of-17 from the field and 3-of-3 from the stripe on his way to 24 points, three rebounds, one 3-pointer, one assist, two steals and one block in 31 minutes off the bench. This was his third straight game hitting double-figures in the scoring department and the second game in a row in which he eclipsed the 20-point plateau, but keep in mind that Rodney Hood (ankle) has been out over the past two games. I’m not confident that Burks will be able to keep this up once Hood (ankle) and Joe Johnson (wrist) are healthy, and his injury history is concerning, but he’s played well enough as of late to warrant some attention in deep leagues; just don’t cut anyone with too much upside.

Jonathon Simmons scored 18 points on 6-of-18 shooting (6-of-7 from the line) Friday, to go with three rebounds, two assists, one steal, one block and three turnovers through 39 minutes as a starter. He’s locked into heavy minutes as a starter with Terrence Ross (knee) out indefinitely, so he should be owned in most leagues.

Rajon Rondo flirted with a triple-double during Friday’s loss to the Jazz, tallying 13 points, eight rebounds, 11 assists, one 3-pointer and just two turnovers in 29 minutes. He hasn’t been much more than a deep league, dimes-specialist to this point, but if Anthony Davis (groin) needs to miss time, he could take on a slightly more proactive role on offense. His steals numbers should also start trending up towards his career average of 1.8, so he’s a low-end guy to consider if you need some help at the point guard spot.

Tim Frazier posted six points, six assists, five rebounds, two steals and one turnover through 24 minutes as a starter on Friday. John Wall (knee) will miss at least another week, so Frazier could be someone to think about if you need some help in assists. Tomas Satoransky netted a career-high 17 points on 5-of-6 shooting (5-of-5 from the stripe) to go with two triples, four boards, four dimes and one steal in 23 minutes. He too will be looking at increased minutes with Wall out, and could be worth a look in deep leagues. Just don’t expect him to hit 83.3% of his shots on most nights.

They call me ROY

Donovan Mitchellmade sure he wouldn’t be excluded from the Rookie of the Year conversation as he helped lead the Jazz to a 114-108 win over the Pelicans on Friday night, busting loose for a career-high 41 points (Utah rookie record) on 13-of-25 shooting (9-of-11 from the stripe) to go with six triples, four boards, four assists and three turnovers in 37 minutes. He nailed three 3-pointers through the first quarter of action, and never really took his foot off the gas pedal after that, putting anyone in front of him on skates while working with a Russell Westbrook-like 41.1 usage rate. This was the first 40-point-plus performance by a rookie since Blake Griffin did it back in 2011, and he’s simply been too good to keep off the floor this season, earning minutes ahead of both Ricky Rubio and Rodney Hood (ankle). The Jazz closed out the game with a Mitchell-Alec Burks-Joe Ingles-Jonas Jerebko-Derrick Favors lineup and that group posted a ridiculous 73.1 net rating, which is great news for the rookie, but a rather ominous sign for the struggling Ricky Rubio.

Rubio watched from the bench during crunch time, finishing Friday’s win with just seven rebounds, four assists, and one steal over 25 scoreless minutes. He’s struggled to adjust in Utah this year and has really been trending in the wrong direction over the past few weeks with averages of just 10.0 points, 4.1 assists, 1.3 triples, 1.3 steals and 2.1 turnovers per contest while earning a measly 23.8 minutes a night. With Mitchell excelling at point guard, he’s been siphoning away minutes from Rubio, and unfortunately, it’s starting to look like Rubio’s playing time could be in the mid-20s on most nights moving forward as opposed to the mid-30s. I’d be cautious about buying low here, as I’m not all that certain it’ll get better soon.

Editor's Note: Looking for an edge in your fantasy leagues? The NBA Season Pass provides weekly projections, rankings, the popular Pickups of the Day column, exclusive columns and customizable stat options. It's the extra tool that can take your fantasy basketball teams to the next level.

Anthony “Glassman” Davis

Anthony Daviswent down with a left groin injury during Friday’s loss and did not return, ending his evening with 19 points, 10 rebounds, one assist, two steals, one block and one turnover in 32 minutes. Davis was writhing around in pain on the floor for roughly two minutes after suffering the non-contact injury and couldn’t put any weight at all on his left leg at all as he was helped off the floor, so, not good at all. He'll get an MRI in Portland tomorrow but I seriously doubt he’ll be able to play, and wouldn’t be surprised if this injury forces him into a lengthy absence, as groin injuries tend to be tricky. It’s going to be a team effort to replace Davis’ 25.6 PPG and 26.9 usage, but DeMarcus Cousins and Jrue Holiday will be first in line followed by E’Twaun Moore, and Rajon Rondo could have the ball in his hands a bit more often. There will be more minutes available for guys like Darius Miller, Dante Cunningham, Omer Asik and Cheick Diallo, but there’s not really an obvious pickup here.

Cousins finished Friday’s loss with 23 points (8-of-21 FGs, 5-of-6 FTs), 13 rebounds, four assists, two 3-pointers, one block and one turnover in 39 minutes, and with Anthony Davis off the floor for the fourth quarter, he saw his usage spike to 34.5. He’ll assuredly be posting some monster stat lines moving forward.

Victor Oladipo continued his stellar play on Friday, popping off for 36 points on 14-of-22 shooting (5-of-7 from the stripe) to go with seven rebounds, six assists, three 3-pointers, three steals, three blocks and three turnovers in 39 minutes. He’s been on quite the tear over the past two weeks, pumping out averages of 24.3 points, 5.0 boards, 4.8 assists, 2.0 triples and a ridiculous 3.3 steals and 2.2 swats per contest on 52.4 percent shooting which has him ranking in the top-2 in fantasy hoops. Obviously, he won’t be averaging such gaudy defensive numbers for the entire season, but first-round value does seem like a reasonable expectation.

Myles Turner also had a nice night, tallying 17 points (7-of-11 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs), six rebounds, one 3-pointer, one assist and one block in 34 minutes. He should continue to trend up as the year goes on, so get in your buy-low offers while you still can as there’s top-10 upside here.

The Return of Buckets

Jimmy Butler did a little bit of everything, registering 22 points, seven assists, three rebounds, one 3-pointer, three steals, two blocks and three turnovers in 41 minutes. After a slow start to the season, Butler has been finding his groove as of late, flirting with top-20 value over the past eight games with averages of 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.0 steals, 1.5 triples and 2.0 turnovers per game on 49.2 percent shooting from the field and 75.0 percent from the stripe. He's been working with a 24.2 usage rate over that eight-game span, which is all he needs to provide elite fantasy value, and I'd expect his numbers to continue to trend in this positive direction as we advance through the season. Top-15 for Jimmy Buckets seems like a reasonable expectation, so congrats if you bought low.

On the Radar

Josh Richardson seemingly couldn’t miss during Friday’s 105-100 win over Charlotte, netting a season-high 27 points on 11-of-14 shooting (2-of-3 from the stripe) to go with three trey-bombs, two boards, one assist, one steal, one block and two turnovers in 35 minutes. J-Rich has come alive over the past three games, flirting with top-55 value behind averages of 18.3 points, 2.7 triples, 1.3 dimes, 1.7 steals and 0.7 swats per contest while working with a 21.2 usage rate, so make sure he’s not floating around on your waiver wire. Yes, he’s must-own.

Bam Adebayo got another start sans Hassan Whiteside (knee), ripping away four steals to go with two blocks, five rebounds, three turnovers and one point in 18 minutes. He could be a nice low-end source of hustle stats in deep leagues over the next few weeks with Whiteside on the sidelines.

Jordan Bell scored a career-high 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting in Friday’s win over the Magic, adding four rebounds, one steal and three swats in 16 minutes off the bench. Steve Kerr has been hinting that Bell will be earning more minutes in the rotation moving forward, and he was able to play alongside both Draymond Green and Kevin Durant in this one, so he’s on the radar as a potential shot blocking specialist in deep leagues.

Ben McLemore played well in another start on Friday, registering 14 points (5-of-8 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs), two 3-pointers, two rebounds, two steals, one block and two turnovers in 20 minutes. He’s starting to round into form and could remain a starter under interim head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, so he’s someone to consider swooping up in deep leagues if you need some help at the guard spot.

Alec Burks had another productive outing on Friday, going 10-of-17 from the field and 3-of-3 from the stripe on his way to 24 points, three rebounds, one 3-pointer, one assist, two steals and one block in 31 minutes off the bench. This was his third straight game hitting double-figures in the scoring department and the second game in a row in which he eclipsed the 20-point plateau, but keep in mind that Rodney Hood (ankle) has been out over the past two games. I’m not confident that Burks will be able to keep this up once Hood (ankle) and Joe Johnson (wrist) are healthy, and his injury history is concerning, but he’s played well enough as of late to warrant some attention in deep leagues; just don’t cut anyone with too much upside.

Jonathon Simmons scored 18 points on 6-of-18 shooting (6-of-7 from the line) Friday, to go with three rebounds, two assists, one steal, one block and three turnovers through 39 minutes as a starter. He’s locked into heavy minutes as a starter with Terrence Ross (knee) out indefinitely, so he should be owned in most leagues.

Rajon Rondo flirted with a triple-double during Friday’s loss to the Jazz, tallying 13 points, eight rebounds, 11 assists, one 3-pointer and just two turnovers in 29 minutes. He hasn’t been much more than a deep league, dimes-specialist to this point, but if Anthony Davis (groin) needs to miss time, he could take on a slightly more proactive role on offense. His steals numbers should also start trending up towards his career average of 1.8, so he’s a low-end guy to consider if you need some help at the point guard spot.

Tim Frazier posted six points, six assists, five rebounds, two steals and one turnover through 24 minutes as a starter on Friday. John Wall (knee) will miss at least another week, so Frazier could be someone to think about if you need some help in assists. Tomas Satoransky netted a career-high 17 points on 5-of-6 shooting (5-of-5 from the stripe) to go with two triples, four boards, four dimes and one steal in 23 minutes. He too will be looking at increased minutes with Wall out, and could be worth a look in deep leagues. Just don’t expect him to hit 83.3% of his shots on most nights.

Injury Tracker

An MRI came back clean on Nikola Jokic’s sprained left ankle, but he’ll spend at least the next three games on the sidelines. Mason Plumlee is expected to get the start in his place Saturday against the Lakers, so he could be someone to consider streaming in deep leagues while guys like Jamal Murray, Gary Harris and Will Barton should see an uptick in usage. Wilson Chandler (back) is questionable for Saturday’s game and if he’s out again, it’ll be either Juan Hernangomez or Barton earning the start, and there will be more minutes available for Kenneth Faried and Trey Lyles.

Kawhi Leonard (quad) is entering “the last steps” of his rehab and “very close” to going through contact work, according to head coach Gregg Popovich. It sounds like the two-time Defensive Player of the Year could be back in action within the next few weeks, so LaMarcus Aldridge owners should be frantically trying to sell-high as it’s incredibly unlikely he’ll be able to sustain his current top-15 pace when Leonard gets fully up to speed. Kyle Anderson will also take a significant hit once Kawhi is back out there.

John Collins was diagnosed with a sprained AC joint in his left shoulder on Friday and will miss approximately the next 2-3 weeks of action. The timing here is incredibly unfortunate as Collins was looking at major minutes in wake of Dewayne Dedmon’s (leg) injury, and with Mike Muscala (ankle) already ruled out for Saturday’s game in Brooklyn, the Hawks will be extremely thin up front. Miles Plumlee might be forced into the starting lineup as the only healthy center on the roster, and we could see Atlanta go with Ersan Ilyasova at the five-spot for stretches. Collins has way too much upside to cut in most leagues.

Jeff Teague (Achilles) was back in the starting lineup following a four-game absence on Friday, tallying 11 points (4-of-5 FGs, 1-of-2 FTs), 10 assists, three boards, two triples and two turnovers in 34 minutes. With Teague back in the starting five, Tyus Jones returned to the bench where he finished with just two assists and a turnover through 11 scoreless minutes. If you swooped up Jones for his short-term value while Teague was out, now would be your queue to send him back to the wire.

Kemba Walker (shoulder) did not play Friday but is “hopeful” to make it back out there for Monday’s game against the Magic.

Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) did not practice on Friday and he should be considered questionable for Sunday’s game against Orlando. The Knicks are listing him as day-to-day, but with Sunday being the first game of a back-to-back set, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him miss at least one game. If he’s out, Michael Beasley would have a chance to start and there would be more minutes available for Enes Kanter, Kyle O’Quinn and Willy Hernangomez. Tim Hardaway Jr. would also see a pretty massive spike in usage.

Frank Ntilikina (ankle) was able to go through some contact portions of Friday’s practice, so perhaps he’ll be able to get back out there for Sunday’s game against the Magic.

Alex Len (ankle) is questionable to face the Celtics on Saturday. If he’s out, Tyson Chandler, Greg Monroe and Marquese Chriss would split his minutes, but it’s impossible to predict whom would benefit most in Phoenix’s dumpster fire of a frontcourt rotation.

Kyle Kuzma (back) was a full participant during Friday’s practice but remains questionable to play Saturday against the Nuggets. Him getting through Friday’s practice is certainly encouraging, though, and we should get another update following Saturday morning’s shootaround.

Rodney Hood (ankle) and Raul Neto (hamstring) did not play Friday and they should be considered questionable for Monday’s game against the Wizards.

Mario Chalmers (rest, ankle) was back in action on Friday but only managed to see 18 minutes off the bench, finishing with four points, three assists, two rebounds and one turnover. It looks like J.B. Bickerstaff will be rolling with Tyreke Evans at the point until Mike Conley (Achilles) gets back, so it’s probably time to move on from Chalmers.

Chandler Parsons (rest, knee) returned from a one-game absence and produced 12 points, two rebounds, one 3-pointer and two turnovers in 23 minutes off the bench. He’s basically just a 3-point specialist in deep leagues. Brandan Wright (groin) also got back on the court following a five-game absence, but saw just seven minutes of action, finishing with a block and nothing else. He’s not worth owning anywhere.

Lucas Nogueira tore a muscle in his left calf and is out indefinitely. Jakob Poeltl was able to earn 25 minutes off the bench without Bebe on Friday, finishing with 18 points (8-of-8 FGs, 2-of-5 FTs), six boards, one steal and two swats, but I’d wait to see if he can do that again before recommending him as an add in most leagues.

Andre Iguodala (knee) did not play Friday and should be considered questionable for Sunday’s game in Miami.

Bobby Portis (right arm injury) missed Friday’s game against the Kings and should be considered questionable for Monday’s matchup with the Cavs.

Salah Mejri (ankle) was limited at Friday’s practice but head coach Rick Carlisle is hopeful he’ll be able to play Saturday vs. the Clippers. Nerlens Noel (thumb) is questionable, but he’s out of the rotation and irrelevant right now.

Markelle Fultz (shoulder) continues to make progress in his recovery, but the 76ers are in no rush to get him back to the court and he remains without an official timetable.

Nemanja Bjelica (foot) missed his fifth game in a row on Friday and he should be considered doubtful for Sunday’s game against the Clippers.

A hoops fanatic, Jared Johnson has been a member of the Rotoworld team since 2013. Follow him on Twitter @JaredJ831, and feel free to send him your questions regarding trades, draft strategies and all things fantasy basketball.Email :Jared Johnson